Open
by museumheist
Summary: Because closure is just so hard to achieve. A series of drabbles/ficlets focusing on the events of 'The End' season three finale, as well as the one-year anniversary of the day. Slight RobRae that can be seen as friendship if it really bugs you. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I'm going to try to make this as short as I can. This is just a drabble/ficlet series that focuses on the season four finale, and a year after the events occurred. I know that Robin and Raven had that conversation at the end of part three, but I can't resist. Besides: who gets over nearly destroying the world forever in a day? Some of these will be short, some will be long, but I'll definitely try to keep author's notes to a minimum to ensure it flows better.

This _is_ completed, and I'm debating how I want to update... meh. I'll figure it out later.

Anywho. I won't bore you anymore - if you really want more details, I'll get some stuff on my profile in a bit.

* * *

Raven awoke that morning with apprehension – not a unique experience in and of itself (she was a superhero, after all), but the reason _why_ wasn't a usual circumstance.

A year ago, to the day, she had risen with the sun to find the warning marks of Scath covering her body.

For a moment, she sat in bed, her arms extended in front of her, as though she needed reassurance it wasn't happening all over again. She clenched her hands into fists and sighed.

It was over. It had been for a year now.

So why couldn't she move on? Why couldn't she forget?

Finally unclenching her fists, she took a deep breath and slid out of bed.


	2. Chapter 2

_The wind was strong, and carried a promise of the winter just weeks away._

_Or, at least, what would have been winter. _

_She looked out at the sun and felt… empty. This would be the last she ever saw it. _

_She extended her arms, still covered in the red runes, looking over them, and tried to restrain the wave of despair washing over her. It wouldn't do to have the Tower explode just before the world ended. No, better to let it stand as long as it could._

_A vision of Titans Tower, burned and shattered, flashed unbidden behind her closed eyelids when she blinked._

"_What are you doing up so early?" Robin. Of course. She withdrew her arms into her cloak, ensuring they were hidden from view as he walked up to join her at the roof's edge. _

"_I could ask you the same thing," she said quietly._

"_I love sunrise," he said simply. "The promise of a new day… anything's possible."_

_Raven swallowed the sudden urge to cry. Yes, anything was possible. Especially if 'the end of the world' fell under your classification of 'anything.' _

_He didn't deserve what was going to happen. _

_But she couldn't say anything about that. She was determined to make his day – and everyone else's – as perfect as she could get._

_So she answered as she normally would: "You always so cheery this early?"_

"_Pretty much," he responded, sounding amused. "Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day."_

_Again, Raven felt guilt and wash through her. "Yeah," she murmured. She took in a deep breath before looking over at Robin, his face more hopeful and serene than she had ever seen it._

_No. She couldn't bring herself to tell him. So she smiled instead, a sudden idea coming to her. "Hungry?"_


	3. Chapter 3

Robin awoke that morning with a feeling similar to Raven's. An odd sense of apprehension mixed with a sizeable amount of memories (it had been a long day last year) isn't good for anyone's head upon just waking up. For a moment, all Robin could bring himself to do was stare up at the ceiling, thinking about everything and nothing in particular. It wasn't until quite some time later he pushed himself out of bed, his motions slow and deliberate as he dressed and washed himself.

His boots made a steady clunking noise in the empty Tower. Everyone but one was asleep, and that one was hardly a loud person. It was no surprise to see Raven at the kitchen table, staring into a steaming cup of tea. She turned her gaze to him, and they shared a knowing look.

But neither of them said a word, because neither of them could even begin to fathom what they could say on a day such as this.

What could you say on the anniversary of the end of the world?


	4. Chapter 4

_He couldn't help but grin at Cyborg and Beast Boy's sulking as Starfire claimed the last slice. A sidelong glance at the Tamaranean confirmed she was indeed coating the pizza in a healthy (using the word loosely) layer of mustard. He turned and was a little surprised to see Raven smiling, thinking about something._

_She was acting… different. She had been all day, really. He still wasn't sure if watching her making pancakes was some dream he had before the tower's alarm sounded (part of him hoped eating them had been part of the dream, too), and her friendly suggestion for pizza held more sincerity than the team usually heard her use in a week. _

"_You're awfully quiet," he commented with a small smile, unable to help himself from stating his observations._

_She opened her eyes and continued smiling at him. "Just enjoying spending time with my friends."_

_His smile widened._

_It was Raven who suggested the walk in the park, too. He listened to Cyborg's suggestion of extreme stankball after their (second) lunch, and blinked in surprise when Raven agreed. His own thoughts were voiced by Beast Boy's incredulous reply, and he knew they all did a double take when she responded: "Maybe I never gave it a chance." _

_And that brought them to Starfire. "Raven, would you still have time to join me in the painting of the toenails later today?"_

"_Sounds like fun."_

_Alright. That did it - something was up. "Okay, Raven," he started, walking up to her with a puzzled look, "what gives?" When she looked at him with a question in her eyes, he went on: "Pancakes, pizza, stankball, toenails?"_

"_Yeah, and she hasn't called me stupid all day!" Beast Boy chimed in. "Has someone replaced Raven with a Raven robot?" He began to walk forward, scrutinizing the empath._

"_I just want everyone to have a nice day today," Raven responded, suddenly levitating up and away so her back was to them. Robin frowned at her tone. It was as though there was a specific reason Raven was doing this, and not just on a whim. "C'mon," she continued. "We have a lot to do before sunset."_

_Before he could ask her what was so special about sunset, the sun began to disappear behind a shadow Robin knew couldn't be the moon – there wasn't an eclipse due for years. As it did, the sky suddenly darkened as though someone had painted the landscape a dark blue. But all of this paled in comparison to the way Raven suddenly turned to them, a hand extended. She swayed forward, than staggered back, both arms outstretched as those bright red runes suddenly appeared._

_Robin put two and two together as Beast Boy exclaimed: "What's going on?"_

_In his mind, he couldn't help but answer: the end of the world._

"_Raven!" Robin was moving forward before she hit the ground, crouching next to her and picking her head up once he reached her. "Why didn't you tell us?" he asked. "It's happening, isn't it?"_

_He wasn't the only one who had come to the conclusion, either: "Please, Raven: today is the day?" Starfire asked. "It is…" she didn't finish the thought, unable to utter those words._

_Robin didn't blame her._

"_The end of the world," Raven finished, tears beginning to flow even as Robin put his other arm around her, pulling her closer._


	5. Chapter 5

The day went on, and no matter what Raven did, she couldn't get rid of the lingering feeling of last year's happenings out of her head. It had taken Starfire a good portion of the morning to realize just what had Raven in such a state, and since then the Tamaranian hadn't given Raven a moment of peace, asking her to go to the 'mall of shopping' and making puddings. Starfire must have made half a dozen of those forsaken concoctions that morning: Sadness, Friendship, Memory… the list went on, and Raven had denied them all.

After the last pudding, Beast Boy had finally woken up. After she glared at him for pointing out her "longer than usual face," Starfire (very loudly) explained the significance of the date. And that's what made Beast Boy decide to devote his day to making Raven smile just once. And, of course, once Raven was taken care of, Starfire had flown off to go check in on Robin; the Boy Wonder had shut himself in his room sometime after the second pudding. It was such a seamless transition that Raven would have thought the two of had _planned_ it.

But no matter what the pair did, Raven could not be cheered up. And as she caught glances of Robin throughout the day (he had to come out of his room _sometime_), it was clear their efforts weren't working with him either. Through their bond, she could tell he was experiencing almost everything she was. But there was something else: concern. For her.

In her own humble opinion, the amount of concern he expressed last year was enough for a lifetime.


	6. Chapter 6

"_All I wanted was for your last day to be perfect. Instead, you spent it worrying about me."_

_Robin, ever the unpredictable one, stepped forward and took her hand, his expression as understanding and caring as one could possibly be._

"_That's what friends do."_

_It took every ounce of self-control she possessed to not throw herself in his arms and break down. She didn't want this, she didn't. But she had no choice, and he would never understand that. So, swallowing the tears, and with them her desires, she did not let her blank façade budge as she said: "And as my friends, you have to let me go."_

_As she took in the image of his hand - outstretched towards her - coupled with his distraught and disbelieving expression, she swore she could hear her heart breaking. Her own expression still unwavering, she raised a shield to make sure they didn't follow. Robin ran forward and smashed his fists, but still she said nothing, even though every other part of her called for her to do otherwise._

_She turned, putting her hood up, and she thought she could feel her heart shattering all over again._


	7. Chapter 7

It was mid-afternoon when they had their first real conversation of the day.

"Are we going to act like it didn't happen?"

Raven turned to look at him, glancing around the hallway.

He had already made sure they were alone.

"I thought we were the only ones who were," she responded.

Her lack of denial made him pause. She was right – they were the only ones visibly affected by the date. But refusing to talk about it was hardly an improvement. After a moment, he shrugged. "Avoiding the subject isn't much better."

"What is there to talk about, Robin?" she asked, sighing.

"I thought we had both let this go," he said quietly.

She arched her eyebrows. "Clearly that isn't the case."

"Why not?" By now, he was almost asking himself these questions, even as he moved closer to her.

"You tell me," she murmured. "You said I was the most hopeful person you'd ever met. Still sure about that?"

"Always," he answered without hesitating.

There was silence for a moment, where their gazes never wavered for each other.

Finally, Robin sighed and looked down to the ground. "It's like we still need… something."

"Closure," she said suddenly. "We may have talked after… it all happened, but it's like it never really went away…"

Robin paused before beginning to nod slowly. "I think you're right."

"… so what now?"

Another pause. Finally, he asked: "Do you trust me?"

Raven looked at him for a long moment before a ghost of a smile touched her face. "More than anyone I've ever met."


	8. Chapter 8

_Robin could feel her grip tighten around him as they fell, but he had to remove the arm supporting her and grab the rocky wall, or they were both doomed. He felt her hands on his shoulders slip just a little, but was counting on her to hold on just a little longer. He didn't think about how suddenly stopping would affect her._

_But affect her it did. The change in speed was too instantaneous for her to adjust her grip accordingly, and all too easily her hands finally fell away, and with them the rest of her._

"_Raven!" he exclaimed. His hesitation was nonexistent; he threw himself from the wall and dove, pushing his arms back to descend faster. _

_He was _not_ about to let her go that easily. Risking his life for his city was an almost daily occurrence. But with Raven's life being at stake, it was notably easier to get past and ignore the risk. Most unpleasant things were made notably easier when she was involved, it seemed._

_After a few agonizing seconds filled with images of Raven falling, arms outstretched, along with her terrified screams in his ears, Robin finally reached her. He would have sighed with relief as he wrapped his arms around her, but they weren't safe yet. Not letting his focus slip for an instant, he grabbed his grappling hook and shot it towards a spot in the craggy rock above them. He swung forward and landed on an outcrop, but there was no time to breathe._

_The area was still, after all, caving in around them. Robin paused only long enough for a rock to collide with the ledge just behind him, and then he was moving again, never letting his grip on Raven slacken, even as he jumped from rock to rock (most of which were falling into the lava below). Finally, after a less than pleasant and somewhat rocky roll, they reached stable ground._

_Robin stood, taking a deep breath before turning to Raven. "You okay?" he asked. It would be just his luck to make it through all that alive and find her injured in his arms. "You didn't get hurt?" _

_Raven didn't respond for a moment. "Robin," she finally said, "why are you doing this?"_

"_You _do_ remember, don't you?" he asked, sure that was the case. _

_Her nod confirmed it. "The story you were telling…" she started. "I can see it. Bits and pieces." She stepped away from him, moving closer to the ledge's edge and folding her arms across her chest._

_Even as a child, Raven felt like she needed to protect herself. Robin felt a pang in his chest, and wanted nothing more than to move forward and wrap his arms around her. In this form, she looked barely ten years old, and yet her eyes looked like she had seen more sorrow and pain than any adult should._

_After a pause, she continued. "You, our friends," she hesitated. "My father. Like it was a dream – a nightmare. Whatever it was… it's over."_

"_Raven, there may still be a way to – " but she wasn't going to let him protest._

"_Nobody can stop him," she cut off. "I remember that. You came down here for nothing." She looked down, and from where Robin was standing, she looked every bit the girl who had given up on everything._

_He was determined to fix that – starting with her last statement. The way she put it, it was as though she believed he had sought her out for no other reason than he thought she could help._

_But he hadn't. Regardless of whether Raven could help them or not, Robin had been determined to come down here and find her. Even as a child, even powerless, she was still one of his best friends. He refused to leave her alone in whatever Hell this place was, even if he had to brave it himself - with _Slade_ of all people - to ensure that._

_Robin turned and reached for her. "I came down here for you," he corrected softly. _


	9. Chapter 9

He held her hand, almost dragging her behind him as they made their way to… wherever it was they were going.

"And you can't tell me where we're going and let me take us there because…?" she asked, her tone verging on annoyance.

"It's a surprise," he answered simply.

"It's not a party, is it?"

They reached the elevator, and he released her hand and pressing the button. He didn't reply until she stepped inside and he had pressed the 'G' button. "I think we all learned our lesson the first time, Raven. You and surprise parties don't exactly mesh."

She eyed him for a moment, as though debating whether or not she should continue questioning him. In the end, she dropped it. It wasn't until they arrived in the garage and found themselves standing in front of the R-cycle did she finally speak again. "You want me to ride on that?"

"I'll take it slow," he assured her, reaching for two helmets and extending one to her.

"Why does that not make me feel better?" she muttered. But, regardless of her doubts, she wasn't about to say 'no' now. She took the helmet and clambered onto the motorcycle behind Robin, gripping the seat with her knees.

"You're going to want to hang on," Robin stated, looking over his shoulder at her.

Besides raising her eyebrows, she didn't deign to respond. Robin seemed to repress the urge to smirk before turning around. He opened the garage door that led to the underground tunnel connecting Titans' Island and the city and revved the engine. the next moment, he was gone, and Raven barely had time to latch her arms around his waist before she went flying.

She had a sense that Robin smirked at that. It didn't help that they tore through the city far too quickly than she would have liked, which could only make her cling tighter to the Boy Wonder in front of her. So intent on staying on the bike, she didn't pay much attention to her surroundings.

Finally, _finally_, they reached their destination. Robin dismounted and removed his helmet before extending a hand to her, presumably to help her down. Raven got the funny sense that as she took it, he was only making sure she didn't leave on the spot. Raven removed her helmet and put it on the bike before looking up at the building in front of them.

The old library.

She sighed, looking down and closing her eyes. "Why did you bring me here, Robin?"

"We talked about this, Raven," he replied quietly. "I think we could both use it."

She didn't respond, instead choosing to simply move forward and walk through the doorway. Her stride, easy and sure, suggested she believed this to be easy.

The hunch of her shoulders told anyone observant enough to notice that it was anything but.


	10. Chapter 10

The library was far less ominous during the day, Robin noted as they made their way through the dusty, dingy shelves. The light wasn't exactly strong coming through the grimy windows, but it was certainly better than Cyborg's flashlight alone.

It didn't seem to put Raven at ease, though. Her poise, stiff and almost hunched, didn't shift once during the short walk to the back of the building.

"It might not work," she murmured suddenly, still moving forward.

Surprised, he looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"When I eradicated Trigon," she began, not facing him, "there's a good chance I eradicated any traces of him from myself as well." With her hood down, he could see her glance at him from the corner of her eye for an instant before returning her gaze forward again. "If this is the case, I won't be able to open the passage that leads to the chambers."

"Actually, I don't think you'll have to," he responded, stopping and gesturing to the wall where a gaping hole remained. "Seems without the magic, it can't remain sealed."

Raven grumbled something unintelligible, following Robin as he stepped through the hole and began to descend the staircase. Every so often, he would glance behind his shoulder to ensure she was still with him. Normally, it wouldn't have been necessary, but her steps were so light he could never be sure if she had just phased away and left him alone.

They finally reached the bottom, and Robin stepped into the antechamber with a only a split-second of hesitation.

Raven, however, looked as though she would need more convincing. She stood several steps above him, biting her lip and eyes unsure. "Robin… I'm not sure about this," she said, unable to keep her gaze in any one place for very long.

Robin withheld the urge to sigh and ascended a few of the steps so he was just one below her – at eye level. He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way and extended his hand. She looked down at it, unease still present in her eyes. "It's okay. The magic is gone – it won't happen again."

Raven raised her eyes to look at him for a moment, as though trying to determine whether or not he was lying.

The thing was, he couldn't lie about something he didn't even know the answer to.

Slowly, she put her hand in his and allowed him to guide her back down. As they both step foot in the antechamber once more, he saw her wince, screwing her eyes shut as though expecting the spirits to chant those words that would always haunt them both.

They didn't, and finally Raven opened her eyes, slightly widened in surprise as she looked around once more.

But Robin didn't want to dwell too much here. "C'mon," he said, pulling them forward once more.

The wall that Robin had smashed through was… well, still smashed through. As they began to descend the stairs, Robin began to wonder what was going through Raven's head. Was she angry? Upset? Or just lost in memories?

He didn't have to wonder long.

"Robin, why wasn't this place demolished between last year and today?"

He shrugged. "I figured some relic of what happened should remain."

"You can't possibly _enjoy_ those memories."

"In a way… maybe."

She stopped dead on the step above him, leaving them at eye level again. "_Why_?"

"Everything that happened last year…" he shrugged. "It brought me closer to you."

Before she could respond, he had turned and was descending the stairs once more.

It then occurred to her how foolish she was being – she could have them both down at the bottom in a matter of seconds. Without asking, she extended her soul self around her, making sure to pick up Robin before diving down the middle of the tower.

She alighted on the ground just in front of the winding staircase, withdrawing her aura and allowing Robin to fall, quite ungracefully, back to the ground.

"Warn me next time, would you?" he asked, looking quite disgruntled as he stood.

Her only response was a twitch of her lip.

But then, what goes up must come down. She turned away from Robin to take in the room. The hand, once ominous and grim, was still a pile of rubble in front of the tall staircase that had allowed her to ascend to her place as the gem.

It was all so clear in her mind. She cringed, remembering how easily she had given up and how she had let Trigon destroy everything she held dear.

Well, almost everything, she mentally corrected, thinking of the Titans. But they still suffered because of _her_.

She turned back to Robin, about to give him a piece of her mind for bringing her here, but she was surprised to see his face was just as pained as she felt. "It's like it all just hits you like a ton of bricks… again," he muttered. "Did I really just stand there and do _nothing_?"

Was he blaming _himself_? Raven frowned. "Why do you sound guilty?"

"Because I _am_. Raven, I made so many mistakes… if I had just figured _something_ out, maybe it wouldn't have happened." He looked up from his feet to search her face. "Raven, if I could have only convinced you that you didn't have to become the portal…"

He _was_ blaming himself. And for her shortcomings, no less!

"Look here, Boy Blunder, you _were_ not at fault here. I was the one stupid enough to believe I had to go through with my 'destiny.'"

Robin shook his head. "A good leader would have eased your doubts. I did not. A good leader would have kept you safe. I…" he swallowed. "I did not. Not from Slade, not from Trigon, and not from yourself." He ran a hand through his hair. "I failed."

Raven was dumbfounded. Here was Robin, the boy who hated to be wrong and had to have his way… and he was _apologizing_ for failing to protect _her_?

He was about to speak again, but Raven held up a hand. "Stop. Even if you _are_ at fault, as you seem so intent on proving, I definitely have at least some of the blame." She took a deep breath. "So I suggest a compromise. We both failed. We both made mistakes. You apparently failed to protect me – " here she rolled her eyes, " – and I brought suffering on the entire world. And we can both safely conclude that Trigon and Slade had parts in this. Agreed?"

Now it was Robin who looked surprised. "Yeah… I guess."

She smiled. "Good."

And just like that, a whoosh of air was let loose from her lungs. With it came a sense of peace, and a quiet in her mind that could only be one thing.

Closure.

"Raven?" Robin's voice drew her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Would you kill me if I hugged you?"

She blinked, then chuckled. "C'mere, Boy Blunder."


	11. Chapter 11

_He placed a hand on her shoulder, and the rest took care of itself. Robin felt her power leave him, and he was surprised to see the energy jumping from his arm to her was white rather than black. "_They _are my family, _this _is my home, and _you _are not welcome here!" Robin watched, enraptured by the sight of Raven rising – a beacon of white light in a sea of red and black – to finally settle the score with her father._

_"_Azarath Metrion Zinthos_!"_

_A white light, blinding in its intensity, erupted from her, taking the shape of a bird as it encased Trigon, wiping him from the face of the earth. Once that was done, it extended out, cleansing the world where Trigon had destroyed. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the other Titans shielding their eyes from the light._

_But Robin couldn't look away, because for a moment – if only a fleeting moment – he thought he had seen Raven within that light, hair flying and eyes glowing. The sight had taken his breath away, and he now found himself unable to tear his eyes away, even as the light threatened to overwhelm his vision._

_But just as soon as it had come, it was gone, leaving only a white-cloaked Raven floating down to the ground as evidence of what had just happened._

_Starfire was the first to speak._

_"Raven, that was…"_

_"Unbelievable," Cyborg finished._

_Robin moved forward just as Raven – looking straight at him – said, "No. It wasn't."_

_To say the hug pleasantly surprised him would be an understatement. "Somebody believed."_

_For a moment, he could only stand there in shock. Then, he smiled. The odds, impossible as they were, had been beaten. It was over; she had done it._

_At that point, he could have told her a million different things. He hoped she heard them all as he wrapped an arm around her and said: "Welcome back."  
_

_

* * *

_...And that's all she wrote! Seriously. The end. xD

For those of you observant people that noticed I had two chapters set in the present in a row (breaking the pattern), here's an explanation: the memory that was supposed to go there just wasn't working. I tried two different moments, but I couldn't get either of them to work the way I wanted. I didn't want to post something I wasn't proud of, so I didn't post it. And today, I almost posted this one first just to keep the pattern, and because the last line of chapter ten was also, I felt, a good way to end it. But then I decided the mood whiplash between the end of this chapter and the beginning of chapter ten just wouldn't work if I ordered it like that. So, there you go..._  
_

But yeah. I really enjoyed writing this. Some parts were icky (chapter eight gave me some trouble...), but other parts were just so _easy_ to write. This chapter, along with six, is probably my favorite.

And... that's all I have to say. Reviews are loved, as always. Concritters will be glomped in appreciation.


End file.
